


You Have to Be Someone's

by Chash



Series: I Only Want to Make You Happy [3]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Background Relationships, Family, Gen, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2019-02-10 04:55:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12904518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chash/pseuds/Chash
Summary: Lyra always has a little trouble explaining her family to people, less because it's hard and more because it's complicated. There are so many things to say. And bringing someone home for the holidays is completely new.But it might be the good kind of new. If she can figure out how it works.





	You Have to Be Someone's

**Author's Note:**

> Fill for [spinningprincess](http://spinningprincess.tumblr.com) and [bisexualsatan](bisexualsatan)!

It's not actually hard for Lyra to talk around her family, when she needs to. She doesn't always, but it's easier to take the most straightforward path, most of the time. She lives with her mother, her stepfather, and her two half-siblings. Her father is still in her life. He's in a committed relationship, but not married. No other siblings. There isn't a single lie in there, but it still feels untrue, when she lets her family go at just that. It doesn't feel like  _enough_.

"You know we don't mind," Gina told her once, when she was eleven or twelve. "You don't have to tell total strangers that me and Raven exist for us to know you love us."

"I know. But I still feel bad."

The two of them made her a card to keep in her wallet that says  _No matter how many of my five parents I mention in a conversation, they all know I love them, and they all love me_. And she still has it, because it still makes her feel better. Being at college, out in the world and meeting new people, it's just so  _complicated_  to get into all the little details, to talk about how her mom and dad were before Bellamy and Raven and Gina came along.

And it doesn't really matter, to most people. She tells friends, the ones she gets close to, in a casual way.  _My dad is poly, he and his partners have been together for like twelve years_. It's something that makes people curious, this kind of taboo thing, thrilling and unknown, but it's hard for her to feel that way. To Lyra, it's just her family. Her mom, her dad, their partners, her brother and sister. It's nothing exceptional.

But she's never brought anyone home before.

Obviously, she's had friends over, after school or for sleepovers, but that was easy. Mom and Bellamy's house is  _her_  house, and she lives with them. When friends came over, there were times when Dad or Gina or Raven happened to be around, but never all three of them at the same time. It was an explanation she could avoid, and one she mostly did.

But this is Christmas, and Christmas is about family.

"Okay, so your mom is Clarke," says Vicky. They're in their seats, waiting for the plane to take off, and she's trying to review. "And your dad is Wells."

"Yup."

"And your stepdad is--Bellamy?"

"Yeah, he's the one who's going to come pick us up."

"And you just call him Bellamy."

Lyra shifts a little, uncomfortable. "Yeah. That's what I always called him. I knew him before they started dating."

"Sorry," says Vicky. "I'm not judging, I just want to make sure I'm clear on everything."

"I know. It's just--my family. And I've never brought anyone home before."

"You keep telling me," Vicky says, but her tone is fond, warm with just a little teasing. "I just want to make sure I don't screw it up, okay? So let me run through all these people again. Bellamy's your stepdad, and he's picking us up."

"Yeah."

"And Wells' partners are Raven and Gina.  _Partners_ , right? That's the right word? Not girlfriends?"

"No. They had a commitment ceremony, so it's--about as official as it can be, considering it's still not legal."

"What kind of commitment ceremony?"

"What do you mean?"

"What do you do for something like that? Were you there?"

"Yeah, of course. It was fun."

Vicky leans her head on Lyra's shoulder. "Okay, so tell me about it. I want to know how that went. We've got a few hours on this plane anyway, and I'm curious how that went. I read some stuff about polyamory to get ready, but it sounded like it varies a lot relationship to relationship."

"You read about it?" Lyra asks.

"I wanted to be prepared. Not say anything stupid. So, how old were you? When they did the commitment ceremony?"

Lyra leans back against Vicky, closing her eyes. "I was twelve for that. They started dating when I was eight. Well, Raven and Gina were already dating. But they were friends Bellamy, so once he started dating Mom, they met Dad, and they started dating Dad too."

"How?"

"How?"

"I just don't get how that would happen, I guess. Making that decision."

"I was too young to really know what was going on," she admits. "The way they tell the story, it was just, you know. They started hanging out, realized they liked each other, decided they wanted to date. The same as anyone, just with three people."

"Okay, yeah. So then what?"

"Mom and Bellamy got married. I stayed with them, Dad moved in with Raven and Gina, but they were around a lot. I had a room at their place too. I stayed there almost every night after Cassie was born, she cried  _all the time_."

"Did you feel replaced?"

"No. I was ten for Cassie and fourteen for Hector, and I got it. They wanted more kids. I just don't like babies. Raven doesn't either, so she was on my side."

"That's why they never had more kids? Not because it was too much trouble."

"Yeah, they don't want more kids. They're happy being my parents and my brother and sisters' cool aunts and uncle."

"So even though you're not around anymore they still hang out a lot?"

"Yeah, all the time. They're still family."

"Okay, so, the wedding. Or the commitment ceremony. You were twelve?"

"Yeah. They wanted to do something for themselves, I guess. And their friends. They just had it in our backyard."

"Your mom and stepdad's backyard."

"Yeah."

"Sorry, there are too many locations in this story. Who performed the ceremony?"

"Bellamy's friend Miller. He did Bellamy and Mom's wedding too, so he was ordained already, and that kind of made it feel more official. It wasn't legal, but it felt--real, I guess. It was nice."

"What did you do?"

"Flower girl, like I did for Mom and Bellamy." She grins. "They weren't even supposed to have a flower girl, but I just assumed, and no one even realized I was planning to do it until I asked Raven if I could wear the one of the dresses I already had or I needed a new one."

Vicky laughs. "So they put in a flower girl?"

"I was so excited! I mean, I was old enough I probably would have been fine with it if they just told me the truth, but they didn't mind adding a flower girl. They were glad I wanted to be involved."

"Was it the same kind of vows as a regular wedding?"

"Yeah. It was small, just friends, so it wasn't like anyone was going to tell them they were doing it wrong."

"No family?"

"Gina's sister and her husband. She and Bellamy are the only ones who really get along with their families, and even that's just siblings. My grandparents didn't want Mom and Dad to keep me."

"Wait, they  _told you_  that?" Vicky asks, sounding somewhat horrified.

"Yeah, why not?" She smiles. "Once I was old enough to actually think about how old my parents were and how old they must have been when I was born, I asked why Mom didn't just get an abortion."

"And?"

"They thought about it, but I guess there isn't a good answer. They talked it through and decided they wanted to keep me, so they did. My grandparents thought it was a mistake, and they--" She shrugs. "I guess they've tried to reach out since then, but Mom and Dad aren't really interested in forgiving them."

"I guess they wouldn't be." Vicky takes her hand, drums her fingers against Lyra's palms. "So, Clarke and Bellamy, married, parents of your brother and sister. Wells, Gina, and Raven, committed, no kids except you. And everyone will be around for Christmas, because you all celebrate together."

"Yeah. Also Bellamy's sister, her husband, and their kids." She turns her hand around to squeeze Vicky's. "And they're all really excited to meet you."

"I'm excited to meet them too. It sounds like you have a really great family."

Lyra smiles. "Yeah, I really do."

*

Bellamy's the one who comes to get them at the airport, and he's already there when they get off the plane, waiting at the baggage claim with his hands in his pockets. He spots them as soon as they hit the escalator, grins and comes over to wrap her up in a hug before letting go and turning his smile on Vicky.

"Hey, you must be Vicky. It's so great to finally meet you, we've heard so much about you. I'm Bellamy."

"Nice to meet you too. Thank you so much for having me."

"Of course, it's our pleasure. Do you two have bags checked?"

"Nope, just carry-ons."

"You're your mother's daughter," says Bellamy. "How were your semesters?"

He's already heard plenty about how junior year is going for Lyra, and even a good deal about how it's going for Vicky, since Lyra talks about her almost as much as she talks about herself. But there are always details she's forgotten, and of course Bellamy wants to learn everything about her new girlfriend. It's not like Lyra's never dated before, but it's never been serious enough she wanted to tell her family about it before.

Vicky feels like she could really last. Like this might really be something.

"I told your mom we'd come to the coffee shop so we could say hi. Do you want to drop stuff off at the house first?"

Lyra glances at Vicky, who shrugs. "I think we can probably go right to the shop. Cassie and Hector are there too?"

"Yup. Honestly, I think everyone might be there. Sorry, you guys are exciting. Everyone wants to meet you, Vicky."

"I warned her."

"I didn't know you could actually sufficiently warn anyone about us," Bellamy teases. "We can be a lot."

" _I have five parents_  does a lot of the work for me, honestly. Of course you're a lot."

"Five parents, two siblings, aunt, uncle, and cousins, right?"

"That's us, yeah. What about you? Your family was okay with giving you to us?"

"Honestly, they were thrilled," says Vicky. "My brother's in Japan and his wife just had a baby, so my parents wanted to go out there, but the ticket here was way cheaper. I'll see them for spring break."

"Is this the first grandchild?"

"Yeah. A boy, Jeremy."

"Congratulations. And we're glad we're getting you instead of them."

"It's not a competition, Bellamy," says Lyra.

"See, you get that from your dad. Your mom knows anything can be a competition if you want it enough."

“Okay, how about it’s a tie because I went there for Thanksgiving?”

He pauses. “You know, you’re right, it’s not a competition.”

Vicky laughs, and Lyra takes her hand again, a gentle squeeze to check in that Vicky returns.

“You guys had a good time out there, right?” Bellamy goes on. “Good Thanksgiving?”

“Yeah,” says Lyra. It had been a little strange, honestly. Vicky has the standard nuclear family: mother, father, older brother, two dogs. It was a small, quiet meal, just the three of them, and Vicky’s parents had been carefully polite, doing their best to work through their slight discomfort with their daughter’s first serious girlfriend. Lyra didn't even try to tell them about her dad's situation.

Still, though.

“It was fun,” she tells Bellamy.

“But if Christmas is more fun we can still win, right?”

"Uh huh. That's definitely how it works."

"I knew it."

The coffee shop is busy when they arrive, doing decent holiday business, as usual. Clarke has gotten to expand in the last few years, hired a full-time baker to do her pastries instead of getting them delivered, brought on more staff and even annexed the store next door for more seating. It's never going to make her rich, but she's doing pretty well for herself, as a small business owner.

Because of Thanksgiving, it's actually been a good three months since she saw her family, so it's not exactly a surprise that everyone acts as if she was off in the wars and has been gone for at least ten years. Hector's the first to spot her, and he at least has the excuse of being seven years old, so  _everything_  is exciting.

"Lyra!"

He jumps off the couch and runs over to hug her, and she laughs and hugs back, ruffling his messy hair. It's easy to say that both her siblings take after Bellamy, with their dark hair and freckles, but Hector especially looks like his dad's mini-me. Clarke says it's the glasses and the way he's always carrying a book.

They're a big family for reading.

"Hey, Hector. How's it going?"

"It's good! Why does your break start so early? We're still in school forever."

"Yeah, but you live here. I had to fly back, so I needed longer."

"Yeah but still."

"I know." She looks around to make sure everyone is here, and of course they are, the rest of the family keeping a bit of distance so Vicky won't be too overwhelmed.

That seems basically impossible, but Lyra figures the effort is worth something.

"Okay, you don't have to remember all this," she tells Vicky. "This is my little brother, Hector. That's Cassie, my sister, Raven, Wells, Mom, and Gina. Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Vicky."

"Hi," says Vicky, with a little wave. "Thank you all so much for having me."

Cassie's the first one to speak. "I love your hair!"

Her hair was actually one of the first things Lyra noticed about her too, the kind of style she associates strongly with queer women, short and spiky, dyed pink and purple. It's growing out a little now, but Lyra likes it this way too, these soft waves that she can trap in her fingers when they kiss.

Sometimes, she still can't believe they're together.

Vicky laughs. "Thanks."

"I want to dye mine but Mom says it would be a pain."

"It would be!" says Clarke, laughing. "You'd have to bleach it first. I'm not saying you can't, just it would be expensive to get it done well, so if you want to do it, you'd have to ask for it as a birthday or Christmas present. It's not the same as just a regular hair cut."

"I was looking online, we could do it at home."

"That's the done  _well_  part," says Clarke.

"We have pictures of the first time she tried to dye her hair herself," adds Wells. "It did not go well."

"And I didn't even have to bleach it." She turns her attention back to Lyra and Vicky, smiling. "Do you guys want drinks? Coffee, tea?"

"Tea's gross," Bellamy says, automatic, the old family joke.

"You're gross," says Clarke. "Seriously, you guys are getting hugged a lot, you're going to need to keep your strength up."

"I want a caramel latte," Lyra says, and gives her the first of many hugs. "Thanks, Mom."

"Vicky? Do you hug strangers or not yet?"

"Hugs are fine," says Vicky. "Can I just get green tea?"

Clarke gives her a hug too. "Good to have you here. I'll have the drinks in a minute."

The group doesn't disperse after that, but Bellamy distracts Cassie and Hector with questions about what they were up to, and with them gone it's just Wells, Raven, and Gina waiting for hugs.

Lyra gives them, of course, and then Vicky gets hugged too.

"How was the flight?" Gina asks. As always, she's the best at small talk.

"Not bad. We watched a movie on my iPad and that ate up most of the flight time. How are you guys doing?"

Even just three strange adults is a lot, and Lyra knows it must be especially overwhelming because they're  _parents_. Lyra was nervous enough about making a good impression on just Vicky's mom and dad; if she'd had to deal with five of them, she might not have survived.

So once the conversation runs down, she flags Bellamy. "We should probably get back to the house, right? You need to get dinner started."

"Yeah, that's true. You guys coming with us or staying here?" he asks Cassie and Hector.

Cassie comes and Hector stays, so Cassie's in the back asking Vicky for every single detail of her life while Lyra takes shotgun next to Bellamy.

He reaches over to give her shoulder a squeeze at a red light. "Good to have you back, kid."

She smiles. "Yeah. It's good to be home."

*

It's nice, mostly, being home with a girlfriend. A little weird, admittedly, this thing that feels so  _grown up_ , even though it's not, really. But she just has a twin bed in her own room, so they're in the guest room, and it's hard not to feel like an adult when you're staying in the guest room at your parents' house.

But it's good. Bellamy's one of those people who's a natural caretaker, welcoming without being overpowering, and he gets Vicky feeling comfortable at the house. He and Cassie and Hector still have school for a few days, and Clarke has work, so they have time to themselves when they want it.

In a way, the strangest part is having someone always  _with her_ , being a host in her own home. Even when Vicky decides to read and Lyra goes downstairs, she feels guilty, as if she's leaving her girlfriend alone in unknown territory without a guide.

It means she sees a lot less of her dad, Gina, and Raven than she usually does, too. Their place is small, and five people in there would be way too much, even for a night. They come over, of course, but it feels like she's neglecting them, like they're her secondary family, the less important one.

Of course, Gina notices.

"Why are you stressing?"

She and Wells and Raven are over for dinner, and Vicky is distracted talking to Cassie and Clarke. It's about as much private conversation as Lyra's gotten with anyone aside from Bellamy and Clarke over the break.

"We haven't seen much of you."

"We're getting lunch the day after Christmas, right?"

"Yeah."

"And we went to the museum the other day. Wells took you guys shopping."

"I know. It's just--there are so many people. I feel like I'm always ignoring someone."

"You are," she says, in that upbeat, Gina way. "But that's not a bad thing. You don't feel bad when you're not in constant contact with Cassie and Hector, right?"

"No."

"And we're getting to see plenty of you. It's not like you don't spend a ton of time alone in your room when you're staying with us. Balance is hard," she adds, looking over at Wells and Raven, talking to Bellamy. "It took us a long time to feel like we were giving each other the right kind of attention. And enough of it. Figuring out how to make enough time for all the people in your life gets harder the more people there are. And when you're dating someone, they become your top priority. We get it."

"I feel like you're always telling me that," she says, leaning her head on Gina's shoulder. "Like you're always making excuses for me. Letting me off the hook."

"I'm not letting you off the hook. I'm telling you that you're not on the hook in the first place." She clucks her tongue, thinking over her phrasing. "We're always happy to see you, you know that. But we're the ones who decided you were going to live with Clarke and Bellamy in the first place. And Wells felt awful because he was happy about it."

"He did?"

"He thought he was a bad dad because he was happy to be getting his own place. Do you remember when he moved out?"

"Yeah."

"And do you remember being pissed that he didn't spend enough time with you after?"

"No. Was I? You guys were always around."

"Yeah, you weren't mad. You just had a bigger family. You came to stay with us whenever you wanted, and you never seemed to think we didn't want to spend time with you because we lived somewhere else."

"Of course not."

Gina kisses her hair. "So why would we think you don't want to spend time with us because you're crashing with Bellamy and Clarke?"

"Because you're the messy part of the family," she admits. "I don't want you to think I'm embarrassed of you or anything."

"We know you're not, sweetie. You're just stuck in a vicious paranoia cycle."

"Did you just make that up?"

"Yeah, but it's still true. You got it in your head that you're not seeing enough of us, so the more you don't see us, the worse you feel. But how much time have you actually spent with your mom?"

"Well, she's working," Lyra protests, even knowing Gina's right.

She knows too, and she smiles. "You're fine, I promise. And you're here for a while, right? You can see more of us if you want. But it's not bothering us, and we know you're not embarrassed. Seriously, you're doing everything right. We're seeing you, we're getting to know Vicky, it's a good break. So stop  _worrying_."

"It's genetic. Between my mom, my dad, and Bellamy, I've got a predisposition to fretting."

"You get it a little from Raven too. You're lucky you have one chill parent."

"I am." She smiles. "You like her, right? Vicky."

"Yeah, she seems great. I'm glad you finally got up the guts to ask her out," she teases, and Lyra ducks her head, laughing.

"I know, I know. You told me so."

"I encouraged you." Gina squeezes her again and then lets go. "You're good, kid. You don't have anything to worry about, okay? Just concentrate on having a good holiday. And leave Vicky with me or Bellamy some morning so you can help Raven out at the shop."

"Deal. Thanks."

"No problem. That's what family's for."

*

On Christmas, she and Vicky wake up before their alarm, wish each other happy Christmas, make out a little, and then head downstairs. Bellamy's already at the stove, with Cassie helping him make pancakes while Hector and Gina inspect the presents under the tree carefully, sorting them into piles.

"Where are Dad and Raven?" she asks Bellamy, sitting down at the island with Vicky.

"Why would I know? We're making pancakes. They've got their own stuff going on. Merry Christmas," he adds. "Coffee's in the pot."

"Tea?"

"Heathens. There's hot water in the electric kettle if you're into that."

"Thanks, Bellamy."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Weren't we not officially waking up for another half an hour?" Vicky asks, sounding a little confused.

"Official wakeup times mean nothing when you have a seven-year-old," says Bellamy. "But we won't do presents for a while. To teach him the value of waiting."

"Also because Aunt Octavia and Uncle Lincoln aren't here yet," Cassie supplies.

"Also that." He glances over his shoulder. "You guys can go hang out in the living room if you want. We're all set in here. Bask in the tree, start hoarding presents, whatever."

"You sure you don't need help?"

"I'm sure." He gives her a squeeze around the shoulders. "Go find everyone else."

As it turns out, Wells and Raven were helping Clarke with the stockings, and now they're all in the living room. Clarke and Wells are sharing the easy chair, elbowing each other like siblings, and sometimes, somehow, Lyra will forget that they're her  _parents_. That the two of them are the originals, the real deal, and everyone else came later. Sometimes, she can't believe that's actually where she came from.

They're so lucky they ended up here.

Raven's on the couch, and Lyra settles into her side while Vicky sits down on the floor to help Gina and Hector with the present sorting. It's still dark outside, with a little snow falling, and this scene probably isn't going to make it onto any Christmas cards, but for Lyra's money, it's perfect.

"Merry Christmas," says Raven. "Having a good one?"

"Yeah," says Lyra. "So far, so good."


End file.
